Oil spills: The Exxon Valdez

The Exxon Valdez was an oil tanker owned by the Exxon Corporation (now the Exxon Mobil Corporation after Exxon and Mobil merged in 1999). Laden with 53 million gallons of crude oil, the ship departed the Valdez oil terminal in Alaska for California on March 23, 1989.

However, en route, the Exxon Valdez struck a reef, discharging approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil into the surrounding water.

For more info, visit this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill*

For more websites with information on the Exxon Valdez oil spill, its impacts on the environment, and how it is still affecting organisms living in and around Prince William Sound today, the following links might be helpful:

• Valdez Science


• Exxon Valdez, Oil Program, United States Environmental Protection Agency


• United States Environmental Protection Agency: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill


• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council


• Fishing village still recovering from Valdez impact


• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Research


• Legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill


• Survivors of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill


• Encyclopedia of Earth: Exxon Valdez oil spill

*(Note: Because Wikipedia can be edited by anybody with Internet access and plenty of spare time, Wikipedia is not always the most accurate and reliable source of information. Vandalism and even blatant planting of misinformation can occur in any article. I would recommend that before immediately accepting the contents of any Wikipedia entry as fact, one should check the article for references, and verify the accuracy of the information first)

Mercury Poisoning: The Case of Minamata City

Mercury and many compounds containing mercury, are often released by industries. If not properly treated and processed, these compounds can lead to water pollution.

Minamata City in Japan is very commonly cited as an example of what can happen when mercury is released into the environment. To find out about what happened in Minamata City in the late 20th Century, visit this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease*

For more information on what eventually became known as Minamata Disease, the following links are also very helpful:

• Minamata Disaster


• The Poisoning of Minamata


• Minamata Disease Archives


• Minamata disease


• Minamata Disease The History and Measures

*(Note: Because Wikipedia can be edited by anybody with Internet access and plenty of spare time, Wikipedia is not always the most accurate and reliable source of information. Vandalism and even blatant planting of misinformation can occur in any article. I would recommend that before immediately accepting the contents of any Wikipedia entry as fact, one should check the article for references, and verify the accuracy of the information first)